Tipaimukh Dam must be scrapped
PR from Citizens Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD)
30 July 2009: It is written on the wall. Tipaimukh dam is now being resisted from all sides, upstream and downstream, from all communities. The only supporter remains the government of India and the state of Manipur.
From the ongoing 15 years resistance in Manipur to the mass anti-dam mobilization in Bangladesh to the recent gathering against the dam in the Barak valley in Assam it is clear that dam must be abandoned. Only a despot or a dictatorial government will continue with forceful implementation.
It is once again we reaffirmed here that our opposition to the dam remains as firm today as it was fifteen years ago. We will continue to fight against forceful damming of Barak river, we will defend against forceful dislocation of our peoples, resist any attempt to disregard and sacrilege our culture, economy and identity.
In the past we have made it clear that our land and environment is crucial for the survival of civilizations that has grown with the river. Whether in the downstream or upstream, lives of all forms, the ecosystem, the economy, culture that has evolved with this river are critically going to be affected by this huge dam. Any form of compensation, compensatory forestation or other ‘benefits’ cannot replace what has evolved over generations.
We are also keenly aware that this dam has already caused conflicts and misunderstandings between upstream and downstream, between India and Bangladesh, between communities and to an extent fracture within communities. The government is to be squarely blamed for these consequences.
Issues of downstream impact of dams are well known. Completely ignoring such an impact and overlooking those who live in the downstream of Barak river has now catapulted. As the people of Bangladesh, the communities living downstream of this imposed dam have every right to demand scrapping of this dam.
Similar to the treatment to upstream communities, it is clear that the government and the dam authorities have complete disrespect of the rights and dignity of those who live downstream. The dam if built will stand to represent an example of a repressive development.
The Government of Manipur appreciably in the past have twice passed in the Assembly resolving that they will not allow the dam. But undemocratic processes that rules Manipur have led to the signing of MOU with NEEPCO, and now with NHPC.
The government have not for once explained to the people what these MOUs are, how they have passed and how they have changed their position since the Assembly resolution in 1995 and 1997. We urge the government to change its course on this dam.
On the visit of the Parliamentary Committee from Bangladesh, we definitely welcome them as representative of our neighbor if they are to come seeking to know more about the dam. However, we would respectfully urge them to desist any form of agreement with India.
By agreeing to this dam, impacts on the downstream in Bangladesh or in Assam nor in Manipur or Mizoram will go. We will continue to work with our friends living in downstream to stop this dam from coming up.
Finally, it is made known here that we will line up a series of events if this dam is not being scrapped immediately.
This information is sent to e-pao.net by Wangkheirakpam Ramananda (Co-ordinator, North East Peoples Alliance & Citizens Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD)) .
The sender can be contacted at wramd(at)yahoo(dot)com
This PR was webcasted on July 30, 2009 .
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